Held from March 28 to April 2 this year , the World Halal Week is deemed an important platform for thought leadership , business matching , marketing and promotion as well as trade and investment within the halal sphere . It includes the Malaysia International Halal Showcase ( MIHAS ), World Halal Conference and International Halal Certification Bodies Convention .
The theme for this year ’ s World Halal Week – Beyond the Economy – is very apt given current geopolitical developments . With more than 70 core countries embracing the halal economy , events such as this will provide opportunities for networking among the various stakeholders in the halal economy .
The World Halal Week 2016 started with the Seventh International Halal Certification Bodies Convention 2016 hosted by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia ( JAKIM ). Some 54 halal certification bodies from 32 countries and four halal authorities from Organisation of Islamic Cooperation ( OIC ) member countries attended the convention .
One of the resolutions agreed in the Convention is to have an International Halal Authority Board ( IHAB ) as an accreditation body . This body will be based in Malaysia under the collaboration between JAKIM and the Department of Standards Malaysia ( DSM ).
Another major programme is the Malaysia International Halal Showcase ( MIHAS ) which is currently in its 13 th consecutive year . It has now become the premier halal event and a game changer in the global halal arena , providing opportunity for the global business community to showcase halal products and services and network with each other .
The event was attended by 66 companies from ASEAN and 63 companies from OIC . In 2015 , MIHAS generated a total sale of RM1.1 billion ( US $ 280.5 million ).
In conjunction with the World Halal Week , the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation ( MATRADE ) has successfully organised a pre-arranged business matching session called International Sourcing Programme ( INSP ) involving 391 foreign buyers from 40 countries and more than 600 Malaysia-registered companies .
The number of buyers was 27 % higher compared to last year and the preliminary sale recorded was close to RM480 million for various products and services including food and beverages as well as cosmetics . This represents an increase of 8 % over the sales recorded last year . Combined with MIHAS , INSP has proven to become an important annual meeting place for the international halal players .
The third major programme lined up during the World Halal Week is the flagship Ninth World Halal Conference 2016 organised by the Halal Industry Development Corporation ( HDC ). The two-day event was attended by about 1,200 delegates comprising government leaders , industry captains , regional experts and other stakeholders .
ISSUE 2 : 2016 | ASEAN COMMUNITY OF ENTREPRENEURS
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